Bachelor of Production
Overview
The Production course is a vocationally orientated three year training program with a focus on stage management, design, technical theatre and theatre crafts for performance.
Description
The School of Production aims to educate students in various roles of performance production including set, costume, lighting and sound design, puppetry, workshop, wardrobe and stage and production management.
Students apply knowledge gained in the studio to practical projects generated both within the College (collaborations with the other performance schools) and beyond(collaborations with professional companies and other training institutions). Given the broad span of performances in the Production School calendar (Dance, Drama, Opera, Film, and Puppetry as well as one off events), students may reasonably expect to be working on a variety of performance forms in a range of capacities in any one year.
Our staff includes leading teachers/practitioners across the seven streams of study in production. Visiting lecturers also contribute to the teaching program, and the school has strong links with
the local and national performance community. Staff are encouraged to maintain their professional connections, as this is seen as a key element in linking students to their future profession.
Specifically, the aims of the School are:
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To provide and develop the necessary skills and attitudes to give production students access to fulfilling careers as artists/technicians/managers in the performance industry;
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To provide training within a framework of practical experiences in the making of performances across a range of art forms;
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To be involved in the exploration and development of work practices of production for the 21st Century;
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To encourage critical and reflective thinking in all production students;
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To examine and articulate the interdependency of the artist and the technician and acknowledge and celebrate their differences;
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To foster creativity and innovation in all aspects of production.
The VCA is unique in that it provides students of the School of Production with the opportunity of participating in productions staged both on the campus (collaborations with other performance schools) and beyond the campus (collaborations with professional companies and other training institutions).
Opportunities are also available for students to become involved in projects generated by the School of Film & Television. The structure of the course is such that formal classes for first and second year students are combined with work on performances and projects. Progressively over the three years, students are required to take on more responsibility and demonstrate greater initiative in their own learning program. Peer teaching is an intrinsic part of the course. In third year formal classes are at a minimum and an individual program is negotiated which can include major stage management, design and technical theatre assignments and an industry secondment with a professional company or practitioner.
Objectives
The objectives of this course are:
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To produce professional practitioners in the performing arts;
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To develop simultaneously the students technical, research, conceptual and creative skills in production;
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To develop students collaborative skills and the ability to adapt them to a wide range of structures;
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To make students aware of their relationship and responsibility to their cultural and social environment;
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To enable students to prepare themselves for post graduate studies;
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To develop students awareness of the issues of time and resource management in the performing arts;
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To develop the students ability to initiate and manage change;
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To develop excellent communication skills.
Generic Skills
At the completion of the course students should be able to:
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Exhibit extensive theoretical and practical knowledge of their discipline including relevant professional knowledge, skills, discipline and ethics as they relate to a practising visual/performing artist;
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Demonstrate capacities for artistic imagination, creativity, transformation and interpretatioN;
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Demonstrate practical skills in respect of critical analysis, problem solving, report writing, team work and oral and written communication;
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Demonstrate a flexible and innovative approach to the national and international challenges for the professional visual/performing artist in the 21st century;
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Work at various levels, both as an individual and as a team member, in a wide variety of visual/performing artistic environments;
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Contribute to a range of visual/performing arts environments as artistic collaborators and leaders;
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Demonstrate an open, independent and inquiring attitude towards contemporary cultural developments and new ideas;
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Critically and creatively engage with topics of cultural significance across communities;
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Understand and appreciate how the visual and performing arts connect with the broader society and contribute to its social and economic development;
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Understand their relationship with and responsibility to their cultural environment and society.
Student Commitment
Students are expected to commit to the following -
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Year 1 - 23 hours per week in formal contact plus 17 hours per week in private study (a combination of on and off campus study);
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Year 2 - 14 hours per week in formal contact plus 26 hours per week in private study (a combination of on and off campus study);
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Year 3 - 8 hours per week in formal contact plus 32 hours per week in private study (a combination of on and off campus study);
Assessment
Attendance at all classes, projects and tutorials is compulsory and is a hurdle requirement. A minimum attendance rate of 80% is required. Where extenuating circumstances cause attendance to fall below these requirements, this may constitute grounds for Special Consideration for which formal application can be made. Additional work may be required for satisfactory completion of a subject where attendance has fallen below the minimum level.
Assessment in the School of Production is continuous and all work is taken into consideration when the assessment is made at the end of the subject. At the end of each semester students will be interviewed individually and progress will be discussed. Assessment in individual subjects is based upon whether or not students have successfully achieved the objectives set out in the subject description.
Course Progression Guidelines
The maximum time permitted for completion of the course is six years.
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A student who has twice failed to complete a subject satisfactorily may not undertake that subject again.
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A student shall not enter the second or third years unless she/he has completed or is deemed by the Head of School to have completed the previous year.
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A student shall not enter a second or third year if she/he has failed to complete, or has not been deemed by the Head of School to have completed, his/her principal subject of study in the previous year.
Books and materials
Students in the School of Production are expected to bear the cost of a personal toolkit, design/drawing equipment, appropriate clothing and other personal items necessary for the course. It is recommended that at least $1 000 be added to the student's budget for these and other materials.
Qualification for Award
The award of the Bachelor of Production requires the successful completion of the prescribed subjects.
Subjects by Year
Year 1
- 754-101 - The Artist in the World - Part 1
- 754-130 - The Artist in the World - Part 2
- 757-138 - Health and Safety 1
- 757-143 - Production Skills 1 A
- 757-144 - Production Skills 1 B
- 757-146 - Production Placement 1 A
- 757-147 - Production Placement 1 B
Year 2
- 754-202 & 203 - The World in the Artist 2A & 2B
- 757-231 - Production Placement 2 A
- 757-232 - Production Skills 2 A
- 757-233 - Production Skills 2 B
- 757-234 - Performance Project
- 757-235 - Production Placement 2 B
- 757-238 - Health and Safety 2
Year 3
- 754-301 - Collaborative Contract
- 754-302 - Professional Development
- 757-331 - Production Placement 3
- 757-336 - Secondment
Subjects
Year 1
| Credit Points: | 6.25 |
|---|---|
| Contact hours: | 2 hours per week |
| Supervised Studio hours: | 5 hours per week including class preparation |
| Semester: | Semester 1 |
Subject description:
Part 1: Ideas and Interpretations
This subject is to be taken in conjunction with 754-130—The Artist in the World (Part 2) in Semester 2.
The subject will introduce students to the key themes and ideas central to all performing and visual arts as interpreted by artists, philosophers and theorists.
This subject is offered as a weekly lecture and tutorial program.
We will proceed by looking at how these various themes inform processes and practices within and across art forms. Starting with Ideas and Interpretations which form points of intersection between the visual and performing arts we will explore pedagogical practices currently employed at the Faculty, as well as analyse some of the technical, aesthetic and conceptual frameworks applied in the development of creative works. We will investigate the influences of various historical and contemporary contexts on the application and interpretation of these themes. In addition we will examine the possibilities for research in and through the arts leading to new modes of representation and the creation of new knowledge.
A range of international and local visual artists, musicians, writers, directors, designers, composers, choreographers, performers, and filmmakers will present lectures about their own work that may coincide with the week’s tutorial topic.
The weekly tutorial readings provide a theoretical context for analysing selected themes found in contemporary practice. During tutorial discussions, students will be encouraged to speculate and reflect upon the relationship between ideas encountered in the lectures, tutorials and readings, and their own studio practice.
Semester 1, 2009
Lecture program
Wednesdays, 9.30 -10.30 am Federation Hall
18 February Welcome and Introduction to the Artist in the World
25 February Rodney Hall (novelist and playwright)
4 March Kristy Edmunds (Head of the School of Performing Arts)
11 March Mike Daisy (collaborative commons and on-line networks)
18 March Master Liu ( martial arts, movement and meditation)
25 March Joanne and Stuart Favilla (musical instrument makers)
1 April Paul Cox (filmmaker)
8 April Daniel Cramer (Berlin based visual artist)
15 April Easter Break (no lecture)
22 April Leisa Shelton (performance and theatre making)
29 April Barbara Campbell (visual artist)
6 May Clem Martini (Head of Drama, Calgary University) tbc
13 May Film festival
Objectives:
On completion of the Artist in The World subject students should be able to:
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identify key issues in contemporary cultural practice;
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acquire a critical vocabulary and refine written and verbal communication skills;
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develop an appreciation of the social and historical context of creative work;
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develop the ability to critically analyse and evaluate discourses and performances in contemporary arts practice; and
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develop a more reflective approach towards their practice and across disciplines.
Assessment:
Students must satisfactorily complete written work of 2,000 words or its equivalent and undertake active participation in tutorials to successfully complete the subject. Intellectual journal - 15 pages (45%); theoretical investigation - 800 words (30%); tutorial participation (25%). Hurdle requirement - 80% attendance.
Time Commitment:
5 hours per week including class preparation
Prescribed Texts:
Artist in the World Reader - Ideas and Interpretations (purchase from Student and Academic Services Unit)
| Credit Points: | 6.25 |
|---|---|
| Mode of Delivery: | weekly 1 hour lecture and weekly 1 hour tutorial |
| Contact hours: | 2 hours per week |
| Supervised Studio hours: | 5 hours per week incl preparation assessment tasks |
| Semester: | Semester 2 |
Subject description:
The Artist in the World, part 2: Keywords in the Arts and Society, introduces students to a number of keywords which appear in contemporary debates on art and society. These debates make use of concepts drawn from within the arts but also from other disciplines including psychoanalysis, philosophy, anthropology, visual design, law, cultural theory and the sciences. Students are encouraged to gain awareness of the variety of ways in which words are used, and ideas and values constructed in these disciplines.
Lecture Program
Semester 2, 2009
July 15 – Martin Ng – Cardiologist, genetic researcher and turntable improviser
July 22 – Phillip Adams – Choreographer and director Ballet Lab
July 29 – Danius Kesminas – Visual artist and musician and all around crazed genius
August 5 – J.Hillis Miller – Theorist and critic
August 12 – Robin Fox – Electronic Musician and laser artist – Robin will perform a piece for computer and lasers
August 19 – Marco Fusinato – Visual artist and sound installation artist
August 26 – Maureen Gardner – Head of the School of Production at VCAM
September 2 – Kevin Murray – Curator and writer, ex director of Craft Victoria and current director of the South Project
September 9 – Deborah Cheetham – Indigenous opera singer, actor, author and program manger of the Willin Centre VCAM
Break: September 14
September 23 – Greg Burgess – Architect
September 30 – The Film Festival – curated by the CFI tutors
October 7 – Student presentations
Objectives:
On completion of the Artist in The World subject students should be able to:
- identify key issues in contemporary cultural practice;
- acquire a critical vocabulary and refine written and verbal communication skills;
- develop an appreciation of the social and historical context of creative work;
- develop the ability to critically analyse and evaluate discourses and performances in contemporary arts practice;and,
- develop a more reflective approach towards their practice and across disciplines.
Assessment:
Students must satisfactorily complete assessment to pass part 2 of the subject. Students are required to complete written work of 2,000 words or its equivalent and undertake active participation in tutorials for each component to successfully complete the subject. Intellectual journal – 15 pages (45%); critical investigation - 800 words (30%); tutorial participation (25%). Hurdle requirement - 80% attendance.
Time Commitment:
5 hours per week incl preparation assessment tasks
Prescribed Texts:
Artist in the World Reader from the Student and Academic Service Unit
Also you can download the subject handout here
| Credit Points: | 6.25 |
|---|---|
| Coordinator: | Mark Postlethwaite |
| Contact hours: | 3 hours per week |
| Semester: | Semester 2 |
Subject description:
Objectives:
On completion of this subject students should be able to:
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Demonstrate practical skills in respect of critical analysis, problem solving, report writing, team work and oral and written communication;
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Work at various levels both as an individual and as a team member, in a wide variety of visual/performing artistic environments.
Assessment:
Written assignments, practical and theory tests (80%); participation (20%)
Time Commitment:
36 hours per semester
| Credit Points: | 25 |
|---|---|
| Coordinator: | Associate Professor Richard Roberts |
| Contact hours: | 22 hours per week |
| Semester: | Semester 1 |
Subject description:
An introduction to the skills required for production in the 7 areas of Lighting, Sound, Design, Workshop, Costume, Technical Drawing and Stage Management.
Assessment:
The 7 areas of study will be assessed separately; the final result will be an aggregate of the 7 marks for the subject. The nature of assessment will include practical work (e.g. model making, millinery, costume construction, hand technical drawings) and written assignments (e.g. prompt copy, costume research, lighting and technical plans) as appropriate to each of the seven areas of study (80%); Participation (20%).
Time Commitment:
160 per semester
| Credit Points: | 12.5 |
|---|---|
| Coordinator: | Associate Professor Richard Roberts |
| Prerequisites: | Production Skills 1 A. |
| Contact hours: | 22 hours per week |
| Semester: | Semester 2 |
Subject description:
This subject provides an extension of skills in 4 areas selected by the student from the 7 streams of study in Production Skills 1A (lighting, sound, design, workshop, costume, technical drawing and stage management). Students will normally not be allowed to continue in an area in which they have failed to achieve a satisfactory grade of H3 or above.
Objectives:
On completion of this subject students should be able to:
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Demonstrate capacities for artistic imagination, creativity, transformation and interpretation are increased; and
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Demonstrate practical skills in respect of critical analysis, problem solving, report writing, team work and oral and written communication are further enhanced.
Assessment:
The four areas of study will be assessed separately; the final result will be an aggregate of the four marks for the subject. The nature of assessment will include practical work (e.g. model making, millinery, and costume construction) and written assignments (e.g. prompt copy, costume bible, lighting and set plans). Assignments set will be dependent on the selected areas of study (80%); Participation (20%).
Time Commitment:
160 hours per semester
| Credit Points: | 18.75 |
|---|---|
| Coordinator: | Kym Williams |
| Contact hours: | 15 hours per week |
| Semester: | Semester 1 |
Subject description:
Production Placement 1A is the subject where students are able to put into practice technical and creative knowledge taught formally in the classroom during Semester 1. As part of this subject students will complete a St John’s First Aid Level 2 Certificate. Students are assigned to at least one placement on a production mounted either within and beyond the College (this can include attendance at Festivals). The placement introduces the student to the complexity of the production process and the collaborative nature of the work.
Objectives:
On completion of this subject students should be able to:
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Demonstrate practical skills in respect of critical analysis, problem solving, report writing, team work and oral and written communication;
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Work at various levels both as an individual and as a team member, in a wide variety of visual/performing artistic environments;
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Demonstrate capacities for artistic imagination, creativity, transformation and interpretation.
Assessment:
Production Placement Supervisor Reports (80%); Presentation of peer and self-assessment reports (10%); participation in Production Placement seminar (10%).
It is a requirement of this subject that students attend a weekly production placement seminar with their supervisor and with other students working in the same area. Successful completion of peer and self-assessment reports is a hurdle requirement
Time Commitment:
100 hours per Semester
| Credit Points: | 25 |
|---|---|
| Coordinator: | Kym Williams |
| Prerequisites: | Production Placement 1 A. |
| Contact hours: | 25 hours per week |
| Semester: | Semester 2 |
Subject description:
In this subject students are able to further practice technical and creative knowledge learnt formally in the classroom. Students are assigned to at least two placements on productions mounted either within and beyond the College (this can include attendance at Festivals). The placements introduce the student to the complexity of the production process in areas that they may not be familiar with and to the collaborative nature of the work within the different fields of performance.
Objectives:
On completion of this subject students should be able to:
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Demonstrate capacities for artistic imagination, creativity, transformation and interpretation;
-
Demonstrate a flexible and innovative approach to the challenges for the professional visual/performing artist in the 21st century;
-
Demonstrate practical skills in respect of critical analysis, problem solving, report writing, team work and oral and written communication;and
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Work at various levels both as an individual and as a team member, in a wide variety of visual/performing artistic environments.
Assessment:
Production Placement Supervisor reports (80%); presentation of peer and self-assessment reports (10%); participation in Production Placement seminar (10%).
It is a requirement of this subject that students attend a weekly production placement seminar with their supervisor and with other students working in the same area. Successful completion of peer and self-assessment reports is a hurdle requirement.
Time Commitment:
200 hours per Semester
Year 2
| Credit Points: | 6.25 |
|---|---|
| Prerequisites: | These seminars are offered at second year level. Second year students attend one x 2 hour seminar per week each semester from an available pool of approximately 12 seminar subjects. Seminars are held once a week and most seminars from semester one are repeated in second semester. |
| Mode of Delivery: | weekly seminar |
| Contact hours: | 2 hour seminar per week in each semester |
| Semester: | Both Semesters |
Subject description:
WORLD IN THE ARTIST 2B
SEMESTER TWO, 2009
Please check your University email for information on how to enrol in one of the seminars listed below for semester two.
CLASSES BEGIN EITHER THURSDAY 16 JULY OR FRIDAY 17 JULY - PLEASE CHECK THE DAY AND TIME OF THE SEMINAR THAT YOU HAVE ENROLLED IN.
EAST/ WEST: PART 1
David Shea
Fridays: 2.00pm-4.00pm
Subject/Seminar Description:
This seminar is an in-depth look at the traditional divide between the cultures, philosophies, perceptions and approaches to the body in Eastern and Western models. Themes explored include scientific and spiritual cosmologies, eastern and western medicine, evolutionary ideas and creation stories, eastern and western architecture, rationality and meditation, martial arts and body enhancement, anatomical and holistic bodies, and mysticism.
There will be a strong concentration on current research in fields relating to the communication between traditional opposites such as quantum physics and its relation to spiritual views of time and space, art, music and literature, as well as medical research into meditation
and martial arts.
Assessment:
Contribution and participation in seminar discussion 25%
Total written work or equivalent project comprising 1500 words 75%
Hurdle requirement: 80% attendance
SUBVERSIVE FILM IN ART
Oren Ambarchi
Thursdays 4pm-6pm
Subject/Seminar Description:
This seminar will introduce how aesthetic, sexual, and ideological subversives have used one of the most powerful art forms of our day to exchange or manipulate our conscious and unconscious, demystify visual taboos, destroy dated cinematic forms, and undermine existing value systems and institutions.
This subversion of form is illuminated by a detailed examination of films from Oren's collection including many rarely seen, or never released works. Avant-garde, underground, independent and exceptional commercial films will be viewed in their entire duration on a weekly basis followed by a group discussion and analysis.
*Please not that it not necessary to have attended this subject in the first semester. Additionally, none of the films screened in the first will be repeated in 2nd semester.
Assignment/Assessment:
Students will be required to submit a 1500 word written research assignment investigating one of the films viewed in the course or a film of their choice that relates to the ideas and topics discussed in the seminar.
Contribution and participation in seminar discussion 25%
Total written work or equivalent project comprising 1500 words 75%
Hurdle requirement: 80% attendance
THE HIDDEN LINKS OF THE AVANT-GARDE & POPULAR CULTURE
Oren Ambarchi
Fridays 11am-1pm
Subject/Seminar Description:
Pop and the avant-garde represent the cultural contradiction of late capitalism, the contradiction that has no dialectic. Pop music for example, has a mass audience, but its domination by the commodity form usually fosters "stupidity in listening". The avant-garde has the imagination to challenge passivity and stupidity, but usually addresses itself only to the art world. Is it possible to overcome the contradiction between the mass-market pop world and the avant-garde?
This course endeavours to explore the parallel worlds of pop and the avant garde and reveal how these contradictory cultural worlds have borrowed from each other and transgressed the rigid boundaries separating "high" and "low" culture to form secret and friendly alliances.
Assignment/Assessment:
Students are required to do a project researching a historical work, artist or movement that has ties to both the avant-garde and pop culture. This project has 2 requirements:
1. Each student will give a presentation of their project to the class
2. Each student will submit a written assignment of 1500 words reflecting their investigation
Contribution and participation in seminar discussion 25%
Total written work or equivalent project comprising 1500 words 75%
Hurdle requirement: 80% attendance
BODIES OF WAR IN ART AND PERFORMANCE
Adam Broinowski
Fridays 11am-1pm
Subject/Seminar Description:
This seminar provides views from the body in war through key samples of 20th century political performance and art. Artists have long recorded, reflected and reacted to the terror, cruelty, and pathos of war. But since the First World War, shocked out of their preconception that civilization had advanced beyond barbarity, influential artists opposed war by rupturing the way it was represented.
In providing a surface to touch to become critically aware of the burning lava of fear, joy and pride in war, artists over this century (Dix/Grosz/Hoch/Heartfield, Artaud/Brecht, Lanzmann/Ibuse, Hijikata/ Schneeman/The Living Theatre/Oshima, La Fura dels Baus/Dead Kennedys/Godard, Morris/Fairey/Banksy to name a few!) have often been uncomfortably out of place, exiles in their own societies while addressing the theme of war. What does the study of this violence and conflict through philosophy, art, performance and war documentary reveal? Is war ‘natural’?
Assignment/Assessment:
Contribution and participation in seminar discussion 25%
Total written work or equivalent project comprising 1500 words 75%
Hurdle requirement: 80% attendance
DIALOGUE WRITING
Raimondo Cortese
Fridays 2pm-4pm
Subject/Seminar Description:
The seminar focuses on writing dialogue and scenes for theatre, film or TV. The work involves a direct and intensive exploration of the written material. The focus is on action, on what words do (to the performer speaking and being spoken to).
Dramatic dialogue is dynamic – it inspires change. Students are encouraged to treat their dialogues as verbal creations, to be spoken out then written, without censoring or judging what happens. A series of simple exercises are used to allow the students to focus on action.
The aim is to not ‘interpret’ or ‘shut down’ the dialogue, but to instead focus on the complex reality of what is actually happening between people rather than what is literally happening. From there we discover where rewriting is required. We will also be exploring dialogues from theatre and film classics.
Assignment/Assessment:
By the end of the seminar participants will be required to hand in their written material. This can be a short play, film or TV script or a series of dialogues that defy strict categorisation.
Contribution and participation in seminar discussion 25%
Total written work or equivalent project comprising 1500 words 75%
Hurdle requirement: 80% attendance
PROTEST AND SURVIVE: OR DO PROTEST SONGS DREAM OF iTUNE SALES?
Elliot Howard
Fridays 2pm - 4pm
Subject/Seminar Description:
In this seminar we will investigate both historical and contemporary forms of protest and pose the question – what place does protesting have in contemporary artistic and political practices? We will explore a range of material and disciplines including current Melbourne based protest movements and actions, popular music, film, art, current affairs, economics, climate change and theoretical perspectives.
We will look at recent G8, Mayday and anti war protests, the films of Jean-Luc Godard, the Situationist movement, the events of May 68, the Hornsey School of Art and Byam Shaw School of Art sit-ins (1968 and 2009), the Baader-Meinhoff group, the Gorilla Girls and graffiti on Melbourne’s streets and laneways. We will place protest in the context of Generation Y’s first recession, the Global Financial Crisis and impending climate catastrophe.
Assignment/Assessment:
Contribution and participation in seminar discussion 25%
Total written work or equivalent project comprising 1500 words 75%
Hurdle requirement: 80% attendance
MASHIT: SOUND AND VIDEO ART
Bruce Mowson
Fridays 11am-1pm
Noise, mash-ups, soundscapes, video art, music-videos, electronic music, minimalisms, sound art: these and many more are sub-genre’s that can be produced using analogue and digital sound and video. In this seminar, we will be working in the computer lab to create any and or all of the above. In class, a range of topics and techniques will be introduced, including audio-visual theory, soundtrack creation, video installation, collage and appropriation, critical listening and looking.
Ultimately, we will be working toward a screening, performance or presentation at the end of the semester. Submission requirements will include a short written assignment and sound and/or video works.
Assignment/Assessment:
Contribution and participation in seminar discussion 25%
Total written work or equivalent project comprising 1500 words 75%
Hurdle requirement: 80% attendance
SENSORAMA: MULTI-DISCIPLINARY INSTALLATION AND PERFORMANCE
Bruce Mowson
Fridays 2pm-4pm
Subject/Seminar Description:
In the first semester, we explored the way we use our senses in our art, and thought about distinctions between perception, thought and memory. In this semester we extend these explorations, and look at new material from Film, psychoanalysis, Media art, Installation Art and Happenings. We will continue exploring the senses through exercises such as the blind walk, and will actively explore possibilities for cross-disciplinary collaboration.
We will be working toward an installation/performance event and catalogue, coordinated by students, at the end of semester. Submission requirements will include a short written assignment and an artwork.
Assignment/Assessment:
Contribution and participation in seminar discussion 25%
Total written work or equivalent project comprising 1500 words 75%
Hurdle requirement: 80% attendance
ZEN PAINTING AND POETRY
Professor Richard Perry
Fridays 11am-1pm
Subject/Seminar Description:
This course will introduce students to major painters and poets within the Chinese and Japanese traditions of Zen Buddhist art. Topics to be discussed include Buddhism vs. Zen Buddhism, form and emptiness, spontaneity and control, tradition and iconoclasm, heroes and swagmen, silence and sound, the brush as sword, and Zen in modern art.
The influence of Zen Buddhist aesthetics on ceramics and garden design will also be discussed. Students will be expected to participate freely in seminar discussions, and assessed assignments will include one haiku poem, one brief essay, and one short quiz.
Assignment/Assessment:
Contribution and participation in seminar discussion 25%
Total written work or equivalent project comprising 1500 words 75%
Hurdle requirement: 80% attendance
‘DO IT’
Elizabeth Presa
Fridays 2pm-4pm
Subject/Seminar Description:
‘Do it’ famously began as a discussion between artists Christian Boltanski and Bertrand Lavier, and writer and curator Hans Ulrich Obrist, in 1993 at the Café
Select in Paris. Their discussion focused on the use of written instructions to make works of art in an effort to observe the effects of translation. They were interested in how written instructions from artists could function like musical scores, which go though countless variations and interpretations each time they are performed. ‘Do it’ has been staged in over 45 museums around the world.
The Centre for Ideas ‘do it’ project is presented in collaboration with Hans Ulrich Obrist. This year ‘do it’ focuses on art and philosophy. Eminent philosophers have been invited to write ‘do it’ instructions. Participating philosophers include Jean-Luc Nancy, Julia Kristeva, Alexander Garcia Duttmann, Daniel Birnbaum
(Director of the 2009 Venice Biennale), Andrew Benjamin, Peter Singer as well as Beijing based philosophers. Students from the Central Academy of Fine Art Beijing (CAFA), China’s leading art college, will participate in the exhibition.
The outcomes of your ‘translations’ will form the 2009 ‘do it’ exhibition at the George Paton Gallery 5 – 16 October
Assignment/Assessment:
Contribution and participation in seminar discussion 25%
Total written work or equivalent project comprising 1500 words 75%
Hurdle requirement: 80% attendance
EAST/WEST: Part 2
David Shea
Thursday 4pm-6pm
Subject/Seminar Description:
This seminar is an in-depth look at the traditional divide between the
cultures, philosophies, perceptions and approaches to the arts in
Eastern and Western models. Themes explored include scientific and
spiritual cosmologies, eastern and western medicine, evolutionary ideas
and creation stories, eastern and western architecture, rationality and
meditation, martial arts and body enhancement, anatomical and holistic
bodies, and mysticism.
In this second semester we will explore, in depth, aspects of subjects we covered in the first semester. We will also investigate many new areas, with a shift in focus towards presentations, both by my self and the students. My presentations, which will be the first hour of every week, will concentrate on the arts and in particular the visual arts, performance and music in traditional cultures all round the world and the religious, scientific and mythological philosophies, which form the roots of these cultures. It is not necessary to have done the first semester of East West to be a part of this seminar as we will be covering almost all new ground and re-visiting some of the first semester concepts in new contexts.
Assignment/Assessment:
Contribution and participation in seminar discussion 25%
Total written work or equivalent project comprising 1500 words 75%
Hurdle requirement: 80% attendance
DIALOGUES WITHIN INVISIBLE CITIES
Leisa Shelton
Fridays 2pm-4pm
Subject/Seminar Description:
Investigations into the evolving cross fertilisations within and between the languages of architecture, theatre, philosophy, the culinary arts, science and curatorial practice – to name but a few!
If Gay Bilson, William Forsyth, John Zorn, Peter Greenaway, Sophie Calle, Helene Cixous and Gordon Matta-Clarke were guests at our dinner table, what kind of conversations might emerge?
This series of seminars will introduce students to a variety of processes developed by leading practitioners, working beyond the parameters of their specific disciplines to redefine both their practice and the way we experience the world through the encounters with their work.
Assignment/Assessment:
Contribution and participation in seminar discussion 25%
Total written work or equivalent project comprising 1500 words 75%
Hurdle requirement: 80% attendance
THE ART OF DESIRE: PSYCHOANALYTIC AESTHETICS
Dr Ashley Woodward
Fridays 11am-1pm
Subject/Seminar Description:
For roughly a century now, psychoanalysis has been a major force of influence in the arts, both in practice and criticism. This subject introduces and explores a variety of different psychoanalytic perspectives on art, as well as the relations between psychoanalysis, art, and politics. It will focus on the ideas of four major theorists: the psychoanalysts Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan, and the philosophers Jean-François Lyotard and Slavoj Zizek.
The seminar will also consider the ways psychoanalysis has been taken up by artists (for example, in surrealism), and how it has impacted on politics and culture. It will introduce key ideas in psychoanalytic theory, such as libido; the unconscious; phantasy; the uncanny; the symbolic, the imaginary, and the real; the figural; and so on.
It will also look at the application of psychoanalytic theory to a variety of art forms, including painting, cinema, and music, and consider the politics of public space in relation to how desire circulates through advertising, stencil art, and graffiti.
Assessment/Assignment:
Contribution and participation in seminar discussion 25%
Total written work or equivalent project comprising 1500 words 75%
Hurdle requirement: 80% attendance
Objectives:
On completion of World in the Artist seminar subjects students should be able to:
- demonstrate and analyse the philosophical and methodological basis of creative research activity;
- exhibit insight into the relationship between key theoretical concepts and original creative practice;
- exercise knowledge of highly specialised disciplinary practice and methodology;
- recognise the significance of research in creative work;
- develop a framework for addressing future inter-disciplinary research projects;
- demonstrate analytic skills and the ability to communicate complex concepts;
- exhibit lucid verbal and written communication skills and fluency within the student’s own practice and across other disciplines;
- develop a sense of individual perspective; and
- demonstrate familiarity with recent cultural debates and new cultural practices.
Time Commitment:
6 hours per week
| Credit Points: | 18.75 |
|---|---|
| Coordinator: | Kym Williams |
| Prerequisites: | Production Placement 1 B |
| Contact hours: | 20 hours per week |
| Semester: | Semester 1 |
Subject description:
Students start putting into practice technical and creative knowledge that has been learnt formally in their chosen production skills classes. Students are usually assigned to at least 1 placement on a production mounted either within and/or beyond the College. These placements give the student the opportunity to develop organisational, leadership and creative skills within the context of the production process.
Objectives:
On completion of this subject, students should be able to:
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Demonstrate extensive theoretical and practical knowledge of their discipline including relevant professional knowledge, skills, discipline and ethics as they relate to practising visual/performing artist;
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Demonstrate practical skills in respect of critical analysis, problem solving, report writing, team work and oral and written communication;
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Work at various levels both as an individual and as a team member, in a wide variety of visual/performing artistic environments.
Assessment:
Production Placement supervisor reports (80%); presentation of peer and self-assessment reports (10%); participation in Production Placement seminar (10%).
It is a requirement of this subject that students attend a weekly production placement seminar with their supervisor and with other students working in the same area. Successful completion of peer and self-assessment reports is a hurdle requirement.
Time Commitment:
150 hours (Semester 1)
| Credit Points: | 6.25 |
|---|---|
| Coordinator: | Associate Professor Richard Roberts |
| Prerequisites: | Production Skills 1 B. |
| Contact hours: | 5 hours per week |
| Semester: | Semester 1 |
Subject description:
This subject provides an extension of skills in 2 areas of specialisation selected from Lighting, Sound, Design, Workshop, Costume and Stage Management.
Objectives:
On completion of this subject, students should be able to:
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Demonstrate extensive theoretical and practical knowledge of their discipline including relevant professional knowledge, skills, discipline and ethics as they relate to practising visual/performing artists;
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Demonstrate practical skills in respect of critical analysis, problem solving, report writing, team work and oral and written communication;
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Demonstrate capacities for artistic imagination, creativity, transformation and interpretation.
Assessment:
The two areas of specialisation chosen will be assessed separately; the final result will be an aggregate of the two marks for the subject. Practical and written assignments (80%); participation (20%). Students will normally not be allowed to continue in an area in which they have failed to achieve a satisfactory grade of H3 or above.
Time Commitment:
46 hours per semester
| Credit Points: | 6.25 |
|---|---|
| Coordinator: | Associate Professor Richard Roberts |
| Prerequisites: | Production Skills 2A. |
| Contact hours: | 5 hours per week |
| Semester: | Semester 2 |
Subject description:
This subject provides an extension of skills in 1 area from the 2 electives completed in Production Skills 2A.
Objectives:
On completion of this subject students should be able to:
-
Demonstrate extensive theoretical and practical knowledge of their discipline including relevant professional knowledge, skills, discipline and ethics as they relate to practising visual/performing artists;
-
Demonstrate practical skills in respect of critical analysis, problem solving, report writing, team work and oral and written communication;
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Demonstrate capacities for artistic imagination, creativity, transformation and interpretation;
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Critically and creatively engage with topics of cultural significance across the broader community.
Assessment:
Practical and written assignments (80%); Participation (20%).
Time Commitment:
46 hours per semester
| Credit Points: | 12.5 |
|---|---|
| Coordinator: | John Comeadow |
| Contact hours: | 5 hours per week |
| Semester: | Semester 1 |
Subject description:
Students will be responsible for creating a short piece of performance in a designated theatre space, mounting the production and organising its performance in front of an audience.
Objectives:
On completion of this subject students should be able to demonstrate:
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Extensive theoretical and practical knowledge of their discipline including relevant professional knowledge, skills, discipline and ethics as they relate to practising visual/performing artist;
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Demonstrate capacities for artistic imagination, creativity, transformation and interpretation;
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Demonstrate practical skills in respect of critical analysis, problem solving, report writing, team work and oral and written communication;
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Work at various levels both as an individual and as a team member, in a wide variety of visual/performing artistic environments.
Assessment:
Students will be assessed generally by all academic staff (60%) as well as by their 2 elective lecturers (40%). Assessable materials for each elective will be presented at the end of the day of the performance.
Time Commitment:
120 hours per semester
| Credit Points: | 37.5 |
|---|---|
| Coordinator: | Kym Williams |
| Prerequisites: | Production Placement 2 A. |
| Contact hours: | 30 hours per week |
| Semester: | Semester 2 |
Subject description:
This subject enables students to put into practice technical and creative knowledge that has been learnt formally in their chosen production skills classes. Students are usually assigned to at least 2 placements on productions mounted both within and beyond the College. These placements give the student the opportunity to develop organisational, leadership and creative skills within the context of the production process.
Objectives:
On completion of this subject students should be able to:
- Demonstrate extensive theoretical and practical knowledge of their discipline including relevant professional knowledge, skills, discipline and ethics as they relate to practising visual/performing artist;
- Demonstrate practical skills in respect of critical analysis, problem solving, report writing, team work and oral and written communication;
- Demonstrate capacities for artistic imagination, creativity, transformation and interpretation.
Assessment:
It is a requirement of this subject that students attend a weekly production placement seminar with their supervisor and with other students working in the same area. Successful completion of peer and self-assessment reports is a hurdle requirement.
Time Commitment:
400 hours per semester
| Credit Points: | 6.25 |
|---|---|
| Coordinator: | Mark Postlethwaite |
| Prerequisites: | Health and Safey 1. |
| Contact hours: | 3 hours per week |
| Semester: | Semester 2 |
Subject description:
On completion of this subject students should be able to recognise, analyse, evaluate and manage a wide range of OH&S issues in performing arts using accepted methods of risk management.
Objectives:
On completion of this subject students should be able to:
-
Demonstrate extensive theoretical and practical knowledge of their discipline including relevant professional knowledge, skills, discipline and ethics as they relate to practising visual/performing artists;
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Demonstrate practical skills in respect of critical analysis, problem solving, report writing, team work and oral and written .
Assessment:
Written assignments, practical and theory tests (80%); participation (20%).
Time Commitment:
36 hours per semester
Year 3
| Credit Points: | 6.25 |
|---|---|
| Mode of Delivery: | weekly seminar/workshop |
| Contact hours: | 2 hours per week |
| Supervised Studio hours: | 6 hours per week including class preparation |
| Semester: | Semester 1 |
Subject description:
Through the process of group building activities in tutorial settings, students will form collaborative groups and project ideas reflective of the diversity of disciplines. Additionally, throughout the course students will develop their project ideas through various forms of online collaboration including blogging, forum discussions, bulletin board postings as well as responding to collaborative work as it is developed and posted online.
Subject Coordinator - Alex Gibson
Seminar/ lecture Program
Friday 9.30-11.30am Art Auditorium
FEBRUARY 20, 27, MARCH 6, 13, 20, 27, APRIL 3, 24, MAY 1, 8.
Objectives:
On completion of the Collaborative Contract subject students should be able to:
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demonstrate confidence in their ability to initiate cross-disciplinary collaborative practice;
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develop cooperative approaches and exercise leadership skills;
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display critical, reflective skills;
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demonstrate the ability to work in an inclusive manner;
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gain confidence that insight is found in the creative process;
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recognise the cumulative and complex ways in which knowledge is formed;
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develop strong documentary processes;
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understand the role of accounting and project management; and,
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be able to disseminate information and publicly promote their project.
Assessment:
The group project must be presented before the end of the semester, to be reviewed by two academic members of staff (100%). Hurdle requirement – 80% attendance. Groups will be issued with a group mark.
Time Commitment:
6 hours per week including class preparation
| Credit Points: | 6.25 |
|---|---|
| Coordinator: | Dr Elizabeth Presa |
| Prerequisites: | World in the Artist 2nd year seminars |
| Contact hours: | 2 hours per week |
| Supervised Studio hours: | 6 hours per week |
| Semester: | Semester 2 |
Subject description:
This subject will provide an integrated and generic introduction to the key issues and skills necessary to enhance a student’s artistic career. The aim is to develop a base upon which all students can build their own specialist skills. This subject will complement the existing specialist subjects on professional development on offer in each School. The presentation of the subject will be in the form of lectures by invited experts in the fields of intellectual property, copyright, ethics, small business development, financial management, taxation, marketing and publicity, and occupational health and safety. Extracurricular workshops will be offered in negotiation, time management, grant writing and presentation skills.
Seminar /Lecture Program
Fridays 9:30am – 11.30 am Federation Hall
Objectives:
On completion of the Professional Development subject students should be able to:
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exhibit sophisticated professional communication skills;
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undertake preparation of a curriculum vitae;
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demonstrate an understanding of ethical issues;
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identify career management strategies;
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identify problem solving and conflict resolution skills;
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exhibit experience of team processes; and,
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demonstrate knowledge of issues relating to personal safety, teaching aids, access to information,and financial and legal advice.
Assessment:
Students select from a menu of discipline related written assessment projects (100%). Hurdle requirement – 80% attendance.
Time Commitment:
6 hours per week
| Credit Points: | 68.75 |
|---|---|
| Coordinator: | Kym Williams |
| Semester: | Year Long |
Subject description:
Placement 3 is the subject where creative and technical knowledge and experience gained over the previous two years is tested and consolidated in a practical environment. Students are usually assigned to at least 3 placements on productions mounted both within and beyond the College. At this stage, a responsibility for peer teaching is expected of the student. Following completion of this subject, students will have developed excellent collaborative, communicative, evaluative and creative skills to a level accepted within industry.
It is a requirement of this subject that students attend a weekly production placement seminar with their supervisor and with other students working in the same area.
Successful completion of peer and self-assessment reports is a hurdle requirement.
Objectives:
On completion of this subject students should be able to demonstrate:
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advanced communication skills (visual, oral, written);
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advanced critical thinking skills;
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organisational and creative skills;
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documentation skills;
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collaborative skills;
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leadership skills .
Assessment:
Production Placement supervisor reports (80%); presentation of peer and self-assessment reports (10%); participation in Production Placement seminar (10%).
Time Commitment:
600 hours all year
| Credit Points: | 18.75 |
|---|---|
| Coordinator: | Associate Professor Richard Roberts |
| Contact hours: | up to 200 hours all year |
| Semester: | Year Long |
Subject description:
This subject involves a period of attachment (secondment) by the student to a theatre company, film company, dance company or other suitable organisation or professional practitioner. The finding of an appropriate secondment is the responsibility of the student involved and is subject to the approval of the Head of School. The student is expected to write a report (2,000 words) reflecting on their experience in the secondment.
The subject provides the student with an opportunity to test and develop the skills learnt over the past two years within a professional environment. It also provides a valuable opportunity to become part of the professional network.
Objectives:
On completion of this subject students should be able to demonstrate:
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an understanding of the professional environment;
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an understanding of professional standards;
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an awareness of the professional network.
Assessment:
Secondment supervisor/s report/s (70%); secondment report (2,000 words) (30%).
Time Commitment:
200 hours